Buddy The Vampire Slayer
by TheFantasticSteamPunkBear
Summary: In an alternate universe where The Slayer, The female warrior who protects mankind from the forces of evil, is a boy named Buddy Summers. The Watchers Council is confused, and has no explanation as to how this could happen. Could Buddy's internal struggle be the answer to this turn of events?


"What kind of name is 'Buddy'?" Giles, the sharply dressed British watcher, asked the rest of the watchers council in his signature British accent.

"I've seen them with names like 'Sally Sue', 'Ambrosia', and even 'Carticia', but 'Buddy'? She must have had a hard life with a name like that." At this sentiment, the remainder of the watchers council exchanged glances that displayed that they were not telling Giles everything.

"What?" Giles said with a half smile, "Does it get worse than being a watcher to a slayer named 'Buddy'?" The continued silence and grimaces of the council wiped the smirk off of Giles' face.

Travers, the head of the council, finally broke the silence. "Buddy is a very…special slayer" For some reason, Giles was not comforted by these words.

"Special how?" he asked, "Does she have eight eyes? Not having the visions? Does she not like to shower?"

"Well…" said Travers, "The slayer has no defects we know of, but we would just like to make you aware that HE…is well, special."

Giles didn't quite know how to respond.

Buddy summers stared into the mirror, hoping the image would change. But like every other day, it didn't. He saw the same things he always saw: A tall, skinny, blond guy. At least he had some fashion sense.

"Everyone looks at me like I'm a freak." Buddy thought to himself, "Even mine."

Buddy always seemed different from the other kids at his school. They treated him like a time bomb waiting to go off. Okay, yeah he threw Ronny Jamison through the wall in the third grade, but he was totally asking for it. And maybe he had one episode in class where he saw a large, hairy, demonic looking thing in class and broke a window trying to get rid of it, but now he kept these things to himself.

And then, out of the blue, some British dudes in suits showed up, saying that Buddy was a "slayer". Yeah, he should have felt relieved that what he was feeling was easily explainable. Well, EXPLAINABLE anyway. But even the suits looked at him like he was…wrong.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the bathroom door.

"Honey! You don't want to be late for your first day of High School, do you? It's a new school, a new town, your chance to really leave all of this…business behind you!"

"Great" thought Buddy, "Even mom think's I'm defective." But she was right. Maybe this was his chance to find his destiny.

"Sunnydale High, Here I come."

A few years passed, as Buddy was not only learning the wonders of algebra, but also the fine art of jabbing vampires with wooden steaks. He had many Adventures, kicking some vampire ass with his friends Willow and Xander. Sure there was an instinctual aspect to it, but Buddy still felt like he wasn't progressing like he was supposed to. He couldn't help but attribute, at least part of it, to the looks Giles was giving him.

Giles was supposed to be his teacher, his mentor. But he didn't seem into it. It was almost like Giles was expecting his powers to evaporate at any moment. Buddy didn't know much about the logistics of Slayer-dom, but he was pretty sure that wouldn't happen.

Now that he thought about it, he didn't know anything about being a slayer other than how to stab things with other things.

"Giles, is there more to being the Slayer than violent outbursts with garden implements?"

"Of course." Giles replied in an uninterested tone, "There is honing not only your strength but your agility and reflexes, not to mention demonology, geography…"

"But where do we come from? Why does the Slayer exist? Why is this 'my destiny?'" That piqued Giles' attention.

"Well..uh..It's uh…" Giles stammered.

"You're always telling me I should take more of an interest in being a well rounded Slayer. Why is it now you don't have anything to tell me?"

"Well, it's just that, your history is…complex"

"You don't think I'm ready."

"It's not that it's…"

"Then tell me!"

Giles paused a moment, his mouth agape trying to come up with some retort. None came to mind.

Finally, he came to the conclusion that it was time.

"Alright. Well let's see…" Giles took one of his many books off of one of his many shelves and flipped to a seemingly random page, and began to read, "The Slayer is the barrier that keeps the human world safe from it's darker counterparts. In every Generation there is a chosen one. She…" Giles trailed off.

"What?" Buddy asked, "She what?"

"You're…you're not…surprised at the…the uh terminology?"

"Giles, I know what 'counterpart' means."

"What? Oh. Well, that's not what I was referring to the…the uh pronouns used."

Buddy gave Giles a confused look.

"Well, you see Buddy, the slayer lineage is… dominated by woman."

"So what? It's rare for there to be a guy slayer?"

"Not only is it rare. It's…impossible."

"Wh-what?"

"In the thousands of years, and thousands of generations of Slayers, not a single one has been male."

"What? None of them have been guys?"

"None."

"Wh-why didn't you tell me this before?! You've been my watcher for years, told me all kinds of useless information! Why did you decide to keep this little tidbit to yourself?!"

"Because we didn't know what was happening! The council has been looking into it, researching it, but no one knows how or why YOU became the Slayer! The Slayer can only be a female!"

Buddy stared at Giles at first in confusion, then understanding and finally a grin spread across his face.

"Yes! I knew it!"

"Knew what? Why are you so happy?"

"Because! Everyday since I can remember, I felt like an outsider. I was different in a way I could never explain to anyone. But now, I know what I felt was not only normal, but REAL!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't you get it Giles? I AM a girl! I always have been!"

"You're a…girl?"

"Well, I mean, I feel like a girl. I was born a guy, but I FEEL like a girl."

"You're…a…a"

"Giles, I'm a transsexual."

Giles stared at Buddy, his mouth forming unvoiced words. Finally, he replied, "I have to talk to the council."

Buddy was to busy with his own internal dialogue. Finally, his feelings were validated. And he'd chosen a new name.

"Buffy"

"What?" Giles asked.

"That's my name. It feels right. Buffy."

Buffy's day was getting better and better.


End file.
